Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam in Dhaka on Tuesday. The National Board of Revenue chairman Md Nojibur Rahman on Wednesday asked road transport sector leaders for bringing back discipline in the sector for getting incentives in the budget. — New Age photo

The National Board of Revenue chairman Md Nojibur Rahman on Wednesday asked road transport sector leaders for bringing back discipline in the sector for getting incentives in the budget. ‘You will get all types of incentives from the National Board of Revenue if you bring back discipline in the transport sector,’ he said while Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samiti secretary general Khandaker Enayet Ullah sought duty waiver for the sector at a pre-budget discussion. The revenue board arranged the discussion with transport and automobile sector at its headquarters on the day. Commuters of Dhaka city have been suffering immensely due to anarchy created by transport sector after Bangladesh Road Transport Authority started drive against buses for charging extra and other irregularities since Sunday. Many city buses, mainly ‘seating service’ buses, continued to stay off the street and the buses which are operating continued to charge extra. At the meeting, Enayet demanded reduction of tariff value on import of radial tyres and normal tyres for bus, truck and other big vehicles as local manufacturers could produce only a small portion of big tyres in the country while they could not produce radial tyres. There are around 3 lakh big vehicles including truck, covered van and bus plying in the country and each vehicle needs on an average one tyre a month, he said. He demanded reduction of import tariff for radial tyres to $2.5 per kg from existing $3.5 and for other tyres to $1.5 per kg from current $2.5 per kg. He also sought industrial duty benefit for the sector as the government declared the sector as an industry. In reply, the NBR chairman said that transport sector was one of the important sectors for the economic development of the country. ‘We hope mass people will get appropriate services from you,’ he said.He also said that the new VAT law would be implemented from July 1 and the revenue board had already given seven instructions to field offices to prepare themselves including holding consultations and creating awareness among businesses in this connection. In the law, the NBR has given importance on protecting domestic industry and generating employment and creating level playing field for all, he added. Later, the revenue board also held pre-budget discussions with the Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) where the association sought incentives on import of reconditioned hybrid cars and withdrawal of supplementary duty on import of microbus. In its proposal, BARVIDA said that the NBR in last year gave duty waiver on import of new hybrid cars but reconditioned hybrid cars remained out of the benefit. Globally, the production and demand of hybrid, electrical and solar cars are increasing considering their fuel efficiency, environment friendliness and longevity, said BARVIDA president Habib Ullah Don.He demanded 35 per cent subsidy for reconditioned hybrid cars on the total price of a new hybrid car and year-wise depreciation to encourage import of used hybrid cars and keep the price affordable for consumers. He also sought waiver in supplementary duty on import of the car.The association also demanded removal of disparity in calculating depreciation of one-year old used cars.